"And in those simple beautiful movements I remembered what was really important in training; that consistency trumps intensity; all the time. That intensity is born from consistency. That one cannot force it, one has to lay in wait for it, patiently, instinctively, calmly and be ready to grab it when Grace lays it down in front of you."

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Snatch Vo2 36:36 redux.

Ok, one more time with the original snatch vo2 max protocol. I can't really say its the return as I never gave it a decent shot. I tried it once, knew immediately it would tax my grip too much and that would mess with my shoulder, so hasta la vista. I stuck with the 15:15 and it worked very well for nine months.Now, however with the new grip ,corkcrew and breathing techniques I just knew that I was ready for this workout again and that the time was right.I was correct. I got through 20 sets of 15 reps per 36 sec bout ,my hr was barely 160 and I was finishing ahead of the clock. The hardest thing was coordinating the breathing with just trying to count that high,lol!The groove was great and it went very smoothly. Too easy though and next week will do 16 reps and then probably work my way up to 17. we'll see. the good news is that it didnt kill my grip like last time and I am much fitter as well.The 15:15 protocol certainly does that.Alternating all these different versions should work very well,each increasing the intensity of the other.I just realized that I really can't count: I do 17 reps on the first set of this video,lol! Better too much than short, that's for sure.Tracy is kicking ass, as usual, snatching the 16 and the 12 kg as well as mixing in two hand swings in her 36 sec work bout.She be berry strong lately :))

Snatch Vo2 36:36 16 kg20 sets of 15 reps300 reps10,800 lbs

rack walk 16 kg1600 feet, switch sides every 200this felt very solid. so very pleased with how my knee mechanics and my gait have been of late. havent walked this well in many, many years.I really have to say how INCREDIBLE the Z health drills have been for my entire body. It really is amazing and I do it every day, in some, without fail.I still stretch and use the foam roller almost everyday but it is much less necessary and intense since using z health religously.

two hand shield casts15x10/10x5 setsThis was good that it was light. those single arm 25 lb sheild casts kicked my arms' ass.Next week is 15:15 with the 20 kg for the first time, I am excited!

13 comments:

I'm paddling with you in this boat :)I also stuck with 15:15 for a long time because the 36:36 seemed hopeless grip-wise, but not anymore.Great job with 36:36, and good luck next week with the 20, it'll be an inspiration for me to follow your example and try 15:15 with that scary thick-handled 16.

I just need to be able to count to 15 each set,lol.seriously though, I was amazed how easy it was this time although I am already sore from the added reps.We'll see how many reps I can get with the 20 in the 15 sec.I need to make sure I get my HR back into the 180-190+ zone if I want to make more CV gains.Peaking's over, time to work hard again.

Yeah, the 15:15 really makes you ready for 36:36 quite unnoticed, it was a surprise to me, too. But the 20... whoa, that's a jump!

Re. 16kg handle: I've read on Howie's blog he is doing snatches every 8 sec and Dave's advice to go by breaths - I thought I'd incorporate this, too, and as it not about going for speed and getting killed grip+cardio-wise, like VO2Max :), it'll provide a good opportunity to work on the false grip and the corkscrew technique.

Oh,I'm sorry for the confusion.It is about holding a kettlebell overhead and doing a snatch every 8sec, or after 3 breaths, whatever. A long time under tension but very slow pace. This is why I thought that'd be a good chance for me to get the false grip and the corkscrew technique nailed before I really move up to the 16kg for VO2Max sessions.

a couple things; I just finished a cycle of snatches( my monday workout) that emphasized just such paused snatches with heavier weights than wednesdays max vo2. I wanted to focus on the overhead position for strength and stability as well as balancing out what can get to be a sloppy overhead position on snatch vo2 day when you are trying to go so fast.It worked very well.However, I definitley found that for me that I have to go hardstyle over the top and throw the bell down and back to go as fat as necessary.The corkscrew creates a smaller range of motion in the snatch but it takes longer to do. Hardstyle is much more linear but also faster.Plus it get the heartrate up better, which is the real point of max vo2 training, anyway.for testing though( ssst) it is the way to go,imo.IF your goal is a specific number.If your goal is a specific training intensity, and or effect, for a specific amount of time than hs is better.

Hearing of the success of your Z work could not have come at a better time. I recently went to a certified Z Trainer for a consultation to address some nagging elbow, shoulder and knee injuries exacerbated from my recent return to KB training.

I am already getting some relief after just a couple of days. And this is after performing R-Phase learned from the DVD since Sep .. this Z-trainer really showed how what I was doing was a very crude approximation to the correct movements.

Very similar to trying to learn KB drills from a DVD and then going to an RKC.

franklin,good analogy. I am still working off my own interpretation of the drills( with some help from some pretty high level Z people) and have had such great results.going to the cert will be very helpful to me I'm sure.

Is 36:36 meant to be done with no hand switch? I can see how not switching hands would condition the arm more, but what about the heart? Does the heart actually work harder to snatch the weight with a fatigued arm?